On Tour: Do Not Lick the Phones by Britney Bronte
Britney is on tour August 8-22 with her novel Do Not Lick the Phones The True Confessions of a TV Psychic! A sparkling romcom based…
Stay by Allie Larkin
Seriously, who can resist this cover? Better than the cover- the actual story and the characters that filled the pages. Stay is an impressive debut from Allie Larkin that belongs on your to-read list. The story follows Van Leone and her baggage of emotional problems- from losing her mother to cancer to losing the love of her life to her best friend. Van succumbs to loneliness one night, and impulsively buys a German shepherd puppy over the internet. When Joe (the outrageously large puppy) finally arrives, Van isn’t sure what she got herself into. On an emergency trip to the vet one night, Van meets Alex the veterinarian, and the sparks fly. But their budding relationship turns complicated when Van’s other emotional baggage comes to town- her best friend and her new husband.
It was so easy to fall in love with Van. She was a good person with a big heart, but always a little unsure about where to step. Her mother was the housekeeper for her best friend’s family, which always left Van feeling not as worthy. Because of this, Van seems to give in just a little too easily sometimes, like she doesn’t feel she is good enough to finally get the long end of the stick. Her journey reads as authentic, and the addition of Joe the puppy was like magic. Not only did Joe lead her to Alex, but he brought joy to life like only a dog can, and helped her jump through the hoops and hurdles life brought her. You have no idea how badly I wanted to finally go out and by that golden lab I have been eyeing after reading Stay. But the story is so much more than about a girl and her dog, or a girl looking for love. It’s about a girl finding her footing in life, how to cope with the loss of a parent, how to triumph when circumstances can bring you down. And, it’s all down with humor. I am giving this book the five stars that I think it deserves, and a place on my Favorites List!
[Rating: 5]
Interview with Marybeth Whalen
Q: Have you always known you wanted to be a writer?
I always knew I was a writer down deep. It took a lot longer for me to admit I wanted to be one to myself– and especially to other people.
Q: Are your stories inspired by your own life, or lives of people you know?
My stories are always inspired by my own life. I have heard it said that novelists have good “what iffers.” We see something and we start the “What if?” game. Pretty soon we have the core of a novel. That’s what happened with my new novel, She Makes It Look Easy. I asked myself what if a woman who has it all together finds herself in an unavoidable situation. How does she respond and does she keep it all together or willingly lose it for something that looks better than the life she thought she wanted? And what if a friend who admired her watched all this transpire? What would that do to her illusion of perfection?
Q: When you are in the writing process, is there a specific time of day that you get most of your writing done? Do you have any set schedule you follow?
I try to write every day when my youngest is in Transitional Kindergarten. I really try to guard that time, which means no errands, fun lunches, with friends, volunteering at my kids’ school, etc. That means I write from 9-1 M-F. During huge deadlines, I will also go off on Saturdays for the day to a coffee shop and my husband will hold down the fort so I can get a chunk of work done. I have also been known to check into a hotel for a weekend and work round the clock, sleeping only when I have to. Whatever it takes.
Q: Your second novel, She Makes It Look Easy, will be available in June. Can you tell us about this book in twenty words or less?
This book is for every woman who has ever looked at another woman and thought “I want what she has.”
Q: Can you talk to us about the process of finding a publisher. Did you have an agent, how did you query, etc.?
I do have an agent that I connected with through a friend. That’s how I sold both my novels– through agents who sold to a publisher. I would encourage people to make those wonderful writing connections through conferences, online, etc. Don’t do it to gain something, but also be ready for those connections to benefit you in surprising ways!
Q: What was the most challenging part of the writing process for you?
Revision kicks my butt every time. I always claim I hate the book, should’ve never written the first word, etc. I also always go to my husband and ask if we could give the advance back. He always says no. We have six kids. It’s gone. Now get to work. 🙂
Q: You have six children! I’ll ask the obvious- how do you keep up with everything?
Because of the way my husband and I have chosen to raise our family, my family has to come first. At this stage of my life, the writing has to fit into my family life– not the other way around. However as my kids are getting older I am seeing that there will be more pockets of time to write. My ability to write will grow with my kids. So for that reason I really try to enjoy what I have with them now while I have it. But for now I am comfortable with doing a book a year, Lord willing! That seems to work for my family.
Q: On top of your writing and your family, you run a fantastic blog! I love that you have a category for each day. Do you think having blogs and social networking accounts are a must for authors these days?
I think having some sort of presence on the internet is expected by readers at this point. I know now when I read a new author, I go look up her blog, twitter, etc. because I want to know more about her. It’s rare I see an author not have one. Of course I am not talking about all authors because there are some who just don’t play the game and they are good enough to get away with that. But for mere mortals like myself, I think a blog, a twitter account, a facebook page, etc. are all good things to invest some time in. Having the daily categories has helped me a tremendous amount. It’s taken away that “what in the world do I write about today??” question. I am all about making things as easy and simple as possible in all areas of my life. If it’s not easy and simple, chances are I am going to shy away from it.
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
An extended trip to the UK where I got to see both David Gray and The Blue Nile perform. But coming in a close second is a month at my beloved Sunset Beach, where my first novel The Mailbox is set.
Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
Write regularly. Write the novel of your heart. Don’t worry about publication right now. Just write the novel you want to read. Someone said that to me once and it’s what ultimately got me to write The Mailbox. Boy am I glad I did!
Future Tour: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover …
Denise Grover Swank will be on tour August 22- September 5 with her novel Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes “It all started when I saw…
Challenge:Post Reviews:August
August Challenge Reviews January Reviews February Reviews March Reviews April Reviews May Review June Reviews July Reviews Please note this is not the sign up…
Blow Me by Lennie Ross
Lennie Ross is currently on tour with CLP Blog Tours and her novel Blow Me. This story follows three “friends” living in the very different world we call LA. Skylar works lazily as an executive assistant, not taking her job seriously until she is fired, burns down her apartment in the middle of foreplay, and is now living out of her car. Dawn is more practical, but doesn’t enjoy her job working as a matchmaker, setting up wealthy older men with young beautiful woman. She also feels her biological clock ticking, and decides to go through the process to freeze her eggs- right when she possibly meets Mr. Right. And Chloe is a wannabee actress, also working as a real estate agent, but has never sold a house nor gotten a role, and is on the verge of being detained if she can’t get her Green Card. All three women are in close to forty, lying about their ages, hoping for a better life, and waiting for a man to help them fix it. But can they figure out what they really want before it’s too late? And how do friendships survive in the land of frenemies and backstabbers, where jealousy reigns supreme?
I live in Iowa, and let me tell you- Blow Me really opened my eyes to what LA can be like for some people. Each character had a unique story and personality, and Ross writes with engaging humor that kept me focused on the plot. Skylar and Dawn take over in the middle, with Chloe kind of fading away, but Chloe’s reappearance at the end of the novel is hilarious and a nice way to tie up her story. Between Skylar and Dawn, I enjoyed reading about Dawn more because she seemed more down to earth and prepared about handling her own life. Skylar seemed to be just waiting for a hand out, but in the end she learns how to find her passion and that made for a great ending. The suspense lagged a little in the middle, but the humorous scenes made up for that and kept me entertained. I would warn readers that this is a pretty provocative novel, so keep that in mind if you enjoy more cookie-cutter reads. I hope Lennie Ross has another book for us soon, because I really enjoyed her writing style and I’m sure all the stories she has from living in Los Angeles will make more great characters!
[Rating: 4]
Confessions of a PTA Mafia Mom by Elsie Love
Elsie Love is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and her novel Confessions of a PTA Mafia Mom. I never know why I’m wary to read a book where the main character is a mom, just because I’m not. I never love the characters any less, and usually feel like I learned a thing or two when it comes to parenting. So I’m not even going to say that I was wary to read Confessions, starring well, a mom, as the main character. Elaine Jackerson is having some issues. She practically walked in on her husband having sex with his young secretary, she overhears a phone conversation between her teenage daughter about experimenting sexually with boys in backseats, and her son is growing out of the I Love Mommy stage. Elaine feels a bit lost. She has been defined by being a wife and mother for so long, putting everything else aside, that she doesn’t know what to do know that her marriage is a sham and her children are growing up. On a whim, she decides to join the Herschel Grammar School PTA. All the moms look like grown-up Barbies, with their perfect hair, perfect outfits, swanky cars, and fancy houses. Elaine signs up, takes an oath….and the trouble begins.
Turns out, this is not just a regular PTA she now belongs to. It’s practically the mafia. Head honcho Suni Calverson leads the pack, and when Elaine lets it spill that her husband Bob is sleeping around, the PTA women promise to “take care” of Bob. Elaine doesn’t know what that means. Kill him? Kidnap him for awhile? Castrate him? When Suni sends Elaine off to Vegas so no fingers can point at her, Elaine gets a bad feeling she has stumbled into something very, very wrong. But before she can figure out how to get herself out of the jam, she’s laid up in Vegas, her children are kidnapped, and there’s a hunky young limo driver lying in her bed. Can Elaine take down the mafia of PTA moms, save her philandering husband, and her kidnapped children?
Confessions of a PTA Mafia Mom is downright hysterical. Chick lit lovers, put this on your list. You will laugh until your sides hurt- I know I did. Elaine’s character is so likeable, vulnerable, scared, and lonely, and she thinks she is meeting a true friend in Suni. There are a few fantastic twist and turns along the way, and the fast paced plot will keep you seeking out the end. I’m so glad Love decided to come on tour with me, because her book kept me thoroughly entertained, and I can’t wait to read more from her. This is a welcome addition to my Favorites List!
[Rating: 5]
Guest Post by Patricia Eimer
Chick Lit’s Not Dead Yet
There I said it. And somewhere, probably in New York or LA, a thousand editors, publicists and book buying people just felt a gigantic stabbing motion in their heart and a few may be experiencing headaches. Because I just said something we’re all supposed to believe is patently false. When I mentioned the name of this blog post two of my critique partners actually made that sucking sound over the phone that seemed to say “bad idea, don’t go there.” And that’s how I knew I’d hit upon the blog I wanted to write. Because you see, I live for that sound. I am like a bad idea chiropractor – I live for the noise. I need the noise. And because of my addiction to the noise I’m going to say it again. Louder this time.
CHICKLIT IS NOT DEAD!!!!!
Now, my proof. Pretty Little Liars, Emily Giffin and Ann Brashares are all sitting pretty on the USA Today’s Bestseller List. Katie MacAlister’s The Incredible Lightness of Dragons hit the list its first week in publication. MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead and Undermined did the same thing. And my publisher, Entangled Publishing, has two fabulous novels coming out (The What If Guy and Lucky Girl) that would both fit into the genre.
Now are they all traditional Carrie Bradshaw style characters straight out of a Candace Bushnell novel? No, of course not. But to say that Chick Lit is dead because of that would be the same as saying that Historical Romance novels are dead because we now rarely see the “rape the virgin till she loves you” trope being used. In fact you almost never see it in modern Historical Romances. Does that mean Historical Romance is dead? Hardly.
Is the age of reading a book for a glimpse at the extravagant lives of Candace Bushnell or Plum Sykes characters over? Maybe. Is that because women aren’t reading? Or because they suddenly don’t want to read strong, independent, modern women who might be looking for love but can take care of themselves thank-you-very-much? Nope.
I think, and this is all just my opinion as 1.) a Reader 2.) A Woman and 3.) An Economist that it’s not that women don’t want to read or they don’t want to read the strong, independent women personified in Chick Lit. My opinion is that it’s very hard to identify with traditional Chick Lit girls in the postmodern age. A Bergdorf Blonde’s concerns over whether or not she can make it for her 30 day touch up seems a bit silly in the age of 9.6% unemployment and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
But while I proudly declare that Chick Lit isn’t dead I will concede that it has evolved and grown, like everything (including readers) always do. Do readers want a book that fixates on Manolo Blahniks and Balenciaga? Nope. But that doesn’t stop us from giggling over Betsey the Vampire Queen being a bit peeved off to see her “power shoes” on the Devil’s feet. It’s just that in the modern age we, and Betsey, have bigger fish to fry.
So if you call it Chick Lit, Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Paranormal romance with Comedic Elements, Contemporary Fiction with Romantic Elements, or whatever NY has declared the “in” term for books with strong, modern heroines who can save themselves it doesn’t matter. At heart they’re all the same and women still want to read them. The only difference between the “Age of Chick Lit” and now? We’ve all grown up a little bit and learned to clip coupons.
Which, speaking of coupons, Off 5th Avenue just sent me a pretty good one. And there are a pair of Beverly Feldman’s that have just fell into my price range. Little black lace booties? You will be mine. Oh yes. You will be mine.
She Makes it Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen
Ariel Baxter feels everything is falling into place. She and her husband have a new house in a beautiful, well to do neighborhood, and her photography business is on its way up. But with her husband constantly working, her kids driving her a little crazy, and the domestic life not all she thought it would be, Ariel starts to question if they made the right decision moving away from their friendly neighborhood. But when Justine Miller, all-star mother, housewife, and neighbor, befriends Ariel, she is immediately drawn into her world of perfect. Justine never seems flustered, has a hair out of place, makes her own healthy meals, and organizes neighborhood activities. Ariel decides she wants to be just like Justine, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to find the time or organization to follow the footsteps of her neighbor. But life isn’t always as it seems. Justine is hiding many secrets from her new friend, an affair being the biggest of them all, and Justine’s perfect world is slowly crumbling. Will Ariel figure out she is being deceived by her new friend? And will she be able to appreciate what she does, or constantly trying to be someone she is not?
I really enjoyed reading She Makes it Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen. The plot is pretty simple: have you ever looked at a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, and wanted their life? Thought they had it so much better than you? This is what Ariel does to Justine, puts her on a pedestal and tries to change so she is just like her. But with all the problems Justine is hiding from Ariel and the rest of her friends, Justine’s life is anything but perfect. Money problems, marital issues, the affair, are all threatening to disrupt the picture perfect image Justine has worked so hard to uphold. The story felt very real to me, especially when Ariel goes against her better judgment and starts to shun another fellow neighbor, simply because Justine said to. I thought the prologue to the story was very interesting, and I had to go back and re-read it one more time after I finished the story. I just wish there had been a little more at the end that explained what happened to Justine, but the prologue helps me draw my own conclusion. I guess this is noted as a Christian novel, and while there were a few sections that talked about church and faith, I really wasn’t overwhelmed or felt that Whalen was trying to force religion upon me, which I know can happen sometimes with religious-orientated books. I am giving this book five stars, for the intricate plot, phenomenal writing and character development, and for tackling a subject that so many woman can connect with. Get She Makes it Look Easy on your to-read list!
[Rating: 5]
